DAPPMAN bows, seeks collaboration with Dangote Refinery

 

The Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN) has expressed readiness to collaborate with the Dangote Refinery to enhance the distribution and supply of refined petroleum products across the country.

The association, which had earlier been in disagreement with the refinery’s management over operational terms and product pricing, appears to have softened its stance, calling for partnership rather than confrontation.

Speaking during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Wednesday, the spokesperson of DAPPMAN, Mr. Nkem Ohia, explained that the association was only seeking an inclusive arrangement that would allow its members to lift refined products in bulk.

“You have wholesale, which we are angling for. That is for us to be able to pick products in bulk with vessels with a minimum capacity of 30,000 metric tons or more and sales at ex-gantry, which is like retailing,” he said.

Ohia noted that DAPPMAN was not in conflict with the refinery but was seeking an open-door policy that would benefit both parties and the nation.

“Even before he commenced production, we reached out to him to allow us collaborate with him and be able to take products in bulk. It has been one of back and forth. Understanding has not been firmly reached. Instead, he prefers to work with a few select partners, which has excluded DAPPMAN,” he added.

He further stressed that such selectivity in distribution could undermine market fairness, insisting that “there should be no need for selectivity that appeared to control petroleum products distribution.”

Ohia dismissed reports that members of the association had demanded a N1.5 trillion annual subsidy from the refinery, describing the claim as “baseless and completely ridiculous.”

“We don’t know where he arrived at that, because the key thing here is he alleges and it’s for him to establish and prove. Far from it, we are not asking for a N1.5 trillion subsidy. We went into negotiations and are still in negotiations with him to see whether he can bridge that gap,” he stated.

The DAPPMAN spokesman reiterated that the association’s objective was to ensure smooth product evacuation from the refinery and adequate supply across Nigeria, adding that collaboration would serve the overall interest of the country’s petroleum downstream sector.